Jo Ann, I do agree that you can select for clones that have certain better traits. One of the breeders in my home town in MA would grow out stock plants of his new hybrids and then pick only the few best ones to use to propagate, destroying the rest. I think we've all experienced the "Gee that's the best I've ever seen cultivar X". Some of it is culture, some of it is picking up small mutations in a vegetatively propagated plant.
To NAME something like this as a new name it should be a SIGNIFICANT difference and also let the growers know "this is an improved version of cultivar X". Ed Skrocki named 'Rubikon Improved' as the original seedling he named rotted badly. the "improved" was a sister seedling that was very similar but not a rotter.
When propagating a cultivar I do think it is important we select "typical" plants for propagation. For some of the really variable ones, like Killer, this is difficult!
OK my two cents!
Kevin
